The Darkwing Chronicles
by Darkiceflame
Summary: Darkwing City is a place where humans and monsters live in harmony, free from the segregation of the rest of the world. It is seen as a place of equality, though every coin has a dark side. When Red moved to Darkwing, he had no idea he would be thrown into this new world's conflicts. But the more he learns, the more he realizes he could be the key to keep this city from ruin.
1. Steelfinger Arc I

**STEELFINGER ARC PART ONE**

-X-

The screaming was music to his ears. The absolute terror harmonized with the scraping of steel on concrete for a delightful symphony of panic and suffering. And he loved every minute of it.

His victim tonight was human, of course. No self-respecting serial killer would go after a monster unless they were certain they could handle taking them down. Tim "Steelfinger" Edwards had made that mistake with a sphinx girl he'd found on the street a few weeks before coming to Darkwing City. Luckily he'd been able to back her into a corner before things got too dangerous for him. After that it had been only too easy to dispatch her.

But humans were much more entertaining prey. They were usually quite inept at defending themselves, and the pleading for mercy always sent shivers of joy down his spine.

"Please," The whimpering girl before him pleaded. "Please don't kill me. What did I ever do to you?"

Steelfinger simply laughed. "Absolutely nothing, kid. You just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time."

This actually wasn't strictly true, he tried to make a point of scouting out his victims for a day or two before moving in on them.

The girl curled into a ball, cradling her left arm against her chest despite blood from the deep cut which ran from wrist to elbow soaking into her white blouse. "You can't...I don't want to die..."

Steelfinger laughed as he kneeled before her. "Aww, look how pitiful you are. I almost feel bad about killing you, but then, now that you've seen my face I can't very well let you live." He accented this point by pressing a long metal finger against her knee. Even though he drew no blood, his victim screamed again.

"I'm getting tired of this," Edwards shrugged. "It was fun playing with you for a while, but you're getting a bit too noisy for such a public area. We don't want anyone walking down the alleyway wondering where the screaming is coming from." His hand rose into the air again, a single rail spike of a finger pointed straight toward her heart. "This would have been so much easier if you hadn't run, I could have knocked you out and had fun for a while longer. Shame you have to die now."

"No..." The girl was hysterical now. "No, stop! I won't tell anyone! I'll give you money, I'll give you anything you want, just don't kill me!"

Steelfinger sighed. That was one downside to most of his victims-the defiant ones were few and far between.

"Unfortunately, the only thing I want is your death," The killer grinned.

Then his finger thrust forward. There was a sickening crunch as he drove through a rib into her heart and the girl's expression froze into a mask of disbelief. Slowly, her face drained of color and her body slumped forward. For the last few seconds of her life, she watched the blood spill from her body before her eyes became glassy and lifeless.

_Well that was anticlimactic,_ Steelfinger thought. But it really was time for him to be leaving. He kicked the corpse backward, cleaning his bloody fingers on the deceased girl's jeans. Then he turned without a word and walked away.

"There is no music quite so beautiful," He noted as he headed down the empty sidewalk, "As the song of a dying soul."

-X-

"Get up Yellow, don't you want to make it for your first day of school?" A voice called from behind a closed door.

The room into which the voice was calling was a simple one, rectangular in shape with the only furniture being a dresser, writing desk, and small bed with yellow covers.

Beneath said covers lay a fourteen year-old girl whose long blond hair was covered by a pillow which she had pressed over her ears.

"Come on now," Her uncle called again. "You're going to miss your first day of high school. You don't want that now do you?"

Yellow yawned sleepily, sitting up in bed. She shook her head in an attempt to clear the fog from her head. Unfortunately, this only resulted in her hair whipping around wildly, becoming even more tangled.

"Great..." She muttered. "Just a minute, Uncle Wilton."

Her uncle muttered something about lazy teenagers before walking away. Yellow slowly crawled out of bed, determined not to fall asleep again.

She made her way to the dresser and pulled on her favorite outfit-a yellow dress over a black long-sleeved shirt and black pants with tall purple boots. After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush her hair out, she pulled it back into a ponytail, then proceeded to place a straw hat on her head.

"Perfect," She grinned just as a single strand of hair popped out of place to stick straight out. "Sort-of..."

Soon enough she made her way downstairs, carrying her shoulder bag as she went. She reached the kitchen where a plate with a poached egg sat beside a piece of toast coated with jam. It wasn't much, but it was a nice gesture for her uncle to make it.

She ate quickly, then ran to brush her teeth. Finally, with everything ready, she took her first steps outside to greet the morning.

"I'm heading out!" She called back into the house. There was a grunt of acknowledgement from inside as she continued on.

The bus stop was at the end of the street, though Yellow wouldn't have minded walking to school if she would have been able to get there before it started. She started toward it, taking a moment to take in the fall air. In her distraction she nearly bumped into someone in front of her.

"Oops, sorry," She apologized, stepping to the side. "I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's fine," Responded the person-a boy who looked a bit older than her. "I shouldn't have been standing in the middle of the road," He shrugged. "Not even sure why I stopped to be honest."

Yellow shrugged as she continued to walk, the boy beside her. "Did you move in recently by any chance? I don't recognize you."

The boy cocked his head and smiled, his red cap tilting slightly. "Yeah, actually. My name's Red and my mom and I moved in a few weeks ago. I'm kinda new here."

Yellow nodded. Come to think of it she did remember a moving van showing up about that time, though she and her father had left on a fishing trip that same day so she hadn't been able to go help out.

"Well I'm Yellow, pleased to meet you," She smiled. "I'm guessing you're going to Darkwing Academy as well?"

Red nodded as they approached the stop. "Yep, I'm going to be a Junior. What about you?"

"Freshman," Yellow responded, a bit disappointed that this new boy was two grades higher. "So I guess that means you're sixteen?"

"Right, and you're fourteen," Red guessed. "Well maybe we'll still have some classes together? Mine were mostly chosen for me, so I don't really know my schedule yet."

"We'll see," Yellow replied as they waited for the bus, a few other students joining them. "So, uh, I was just wondering, are you...different?"

Red looked at her blankly. "Different? What do you mean?"

Yellow looked down. "Never mind, I guess it's kind of rude to ask anyway."

"Are you asking if I'm human?" Red assumed. "I don't mind."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to; I know people aren't really supposed to talk about what they are."

Before Red could reply, a girl poked her head between the two of them. She wore a pair of blue suspenders over a red long-sleeved blouse, knee-high white socks, red trainers and a white hat accented by a bow.

"Morning Yellow!" The new girl grinned. "Nice day, isn't it?"

Yellow sighed. "Good morning, Crystal. How are you?"

"I'm totally excited!" The taller girl replied, her sapphire hair swinging in the breeze, seeming to defy gravity as it curved straight up. "I've been studying all month to get ready."

Yellow sweatdropped. "You realize school hasn't started yet, right?"

"So? You can never be too prepared!" The girl, Crystal declared. She turned to Red. "And who is this?"

"I'm a new student," Red replied, a bit taken aback by her sudden appearance. "M-my name is Red."

"Pleasure to meet you," Crystal replied, putting forth a hand to shake his. "As you probably heard Yellow say, my name is Crystal, and I'm starting Junior year, what about you?"

"The same, actually," The boy replied as he took the outstretched hand, which Crystal proceeded to shake vigorously.

"Awesome!" Crystal cheered. "The three of us are going to have so much fun this year!" With no warning, she swung her arms around both of their shoulders just as the bus arrived. "Come on now, let's get going!"

Red, who was looking incredibly uncomfortable, looked over at Yellow for help, but the younger girl simply shrugged and giggled.

The three of them entered the bus, which was surprisingly empty. Crystal sat on one bench before gesturing to the one adjacent her.

"This is the first stop of the day, so we can pretty much sit anywhere we want," Yellow explained. Red nodded and sat down, joined by the blond girl a moment later.

"So do you guys have all of your textbooks?" Crystal asked, leaning over. "I've got mine, but there are so many that my bag is killing my shoulder."

"How many subjects do you have them for?" Red asked.

"Seven," Crystal shrugged. "There's even one for the Choir class if you can believe that. What about you?"

Red grinned sheepishly and pulled a single math book from his bag. "Just this one."

Crystal gawked in surprise for a second, to which Red and Yellow laughed. "Well fine, but Yellow has to have nearly as many as I do, right?"

Her friend lifted the brim of her straw hat, which had sunk over her eyes, and opened her bag. "I have three."

Crystal's look of shock was priceless. She seemed about to speak when the bus stopped once again. The doors opened and several more students filed on. Soon the bus was nearly half-full.

"Morning, you two," A black-haired boy sighed, falling into the bench in front of Crystal with a huff. "Man, the bus stop is two blocks away from my house this year. Wasn't it closer last time?"

"Yeah, it was at the end of your street, but yet you still complained about it then too," Crystal noted. The boy groaned and leaned against the seat in front of him, his hat and goggles pressing into the fabric.

"Cheer up, Gold," A second boy spoke up, sitting beside him. "You could use the exercise."

"Shut up, Silver," Gold muttered.

Yellow leaned over to Red. "Those two are Gold and Silver; they're Juniors like you and good friends of Crystal. I'm sure you'll get to know them," She glanced over and noticed his expression. "Hey, are you alright?"

Red nodded. "This is all just...very sudden. People aren't usually this nice to me, and yet we've been talking and laughing since I got outside."

Yellow raised an eyebrow. "It's called making friends, you're new, which means you probably don't know anyone here yet, so I figured I'd help you out. I mean you seem like a nice guy and all, so why wouldn't I want to be your friend?"

Red thought about it. "Well it's different for sure, but in a good way. Thank you."

Yellow nodded and the bus continued through the city. they made two more stops before reaching the school complex.

Darkwing Academy was a unique place in that the school ranged from grades six through twelve, though before ninth grade the Junior High-age children were in a separate part of the school. The whole campus was enormous-appropriate for the high number of students who attended-with entire buildings dedicated to various specialties. Language, history, arts, English, science, math and so on.

"There's an entire building of rooms filled just with computers," Yellow was explaining to Red. "And the lunch hall is two stories tall. There are tables all around the edge, but the middle is open so you can see down to the first floor."

"Is there a library?" Red asked as kids began to stand in preparation of exiting the bus.

"Yes there is," Crystal piped up. "It's actually the city library, but students have free access to check out books. It's enormous with a giant glass-domed ceiling and windows with little alcoves where you can snuggle up and read for hours!" She sighed dreamily. "I could stay there all day, except that it would mean missing school..."

"And we all know how much you would hate that," Gold joked as he walked past.

"At least I do the work instead of spending all of class goofing off," Crystal remarked. "I don't know how we're still in the same grade, I'm sure you should have been held back once or twice by now..."

Gold sighed, crossing his arms behind his head. "You need to learn to stop being so super serious, gal."

Crystal turned to him dangerously. "_What did you just call me?_"

"This sounds like it's going to get ugly," Yellow sighed. "Come on Red, let's find your homeroom."

The two walked away quickly, ignoring the scuffling and crashing from behind them. Yellow pulled a sheet of paper out of her bag and held it up.

"My schedule," She explained. "If you get yours out it should tell you where your homeroom is at the top."

Red nodded and pulled off his bag, unzipping it to shuffle the papers around inside. After a bit of searching he pulled out his own schedule and checked it. "It says room 132."

Yellow compared the two. "Aww, guess we don't have homeroom together, but we do have the same History and P.E. classes, and there's always lunch time, so I'll see you quite a bit," She stepped away and waved. "Well I need to get to my own class, so I guess I'll see you later."

"Right..." Red nodded and waved as he stepped off toward his own class. "See you...Yellow..."

And with that they went their separate ways.

-X-

Steelfinger was browsing again, looking through a "catalogue" from last year of potential targets. The catalogue in question was actually a year-old Darkwing Academy school yearbook, and two tiny pictures were already crossed out. With a flourish he drew a large red X over the image of the girl he had slaughtered the night before, checking her off the list.

"Well that was excellent, but who to go after next, eh? Maybe one of the older girls?"

He flipped near the back and began scanning. He was sure to avoid any names with small black dots to the side of them. Those marked students who had publicly admitted to being monsters, nonhumans like himself.

Instead, he noticed a girl in one of the Sophomore columns with no such mark and a smiling face. He grinned maliciously at the image.

"Oh yes, this one should do nicely," He chuckled, checking the girl's name and comparing it with an address book. "Outskirts of the city...a perfect target. I can't wait to sink my claws into this one," He grinned. "Well then, I must get ready."

He set down the book and turned to go, but looked back once more at the girl, taking in detail of the picture. The last aspect he took note of was the beautiful hair, set in two sapphire pigtails which arced to point straight up at the tips. Almost seeming as though they were somehow defying gravity.

-X-

"Welcome to homeroom, class," The woman at the front greeted everyone as the morning bell rang. "My name is Roxanne, and I'm your teacher for this period," She gave a pointed look," And there's a good chance I'll be the math teacher for some of you, so I expect to see you studying hard whenever you're in here."

Yellow groaned-she was one of those students. She had been told that Miss Roxanne was usually quite kind to her students, and hoped it was true.

"As for today, I thought we could start out by getting to know each-other a bit more. So I want you all to pair off and ask the people around you about themselves," Roxanne explained. "I'm not asking you to find out everything about them, just the basics. After all, you'll likely be around them for the rest of the year."

The class immediately took this as an excuse to goof off. Yellow felt the almost physical force of thirty cell phones being pulled out at once. Yellow sighed; since she didn't have a smart phone herself she might as well try to find a partner. She turned around.

Behind her, a girl in a blue sleeveless top and a pair of white jean shorts over biker shorts was trying to tie a bandanna around her head.

"Hey, Yellow," The girl nodded. "Think you could help me out? I'm trying to decide how to tie this to keep my hair out of my face."

Yellow nodded, then took the bandanna and looked it over. After a second, she rolled the whole thing up and handed it back.

"Try going back around and tying it at the top, Sapphire," She suggested. The girl grinned and nodded, tying the bandanna as Yellow had suggested, letting most of her hair hang to the sides in front of it. The result resembled a large blue bow atop her head, and looked pretty good.

"Thanks," Sapphire bowed, fiddling slightly with the bandanna. "That really does help; how'd you know how to do that?"

Yellow shrugged modestly. "Oh, my uncle is a fisherman and he takes me with him a lot. After tying knots long enough you sort of figure out what will work well or look good."

"Pretty clever," The brunette girl nodded. She turned to the side. "Hey Emerald, what do you think?"

A boy with a terrifying head of blond hair gelled high into the shape of a crescent moon looked over. "I don't see how it's that different."

The girl beside him frowned upon hearing this. "Whaddya mean? It's a totally new look for me. I swear you're the most fashionably-challenged person I know."

Yellow listened to the two bicker for a bit, not really too interested now. She sighed, looking out the window.

_I wonder how Red is doing so far,_ She thought. _ I hope he's able to make some more friends today..._

-X-

For the first few seconds after she tripped into the room, Red was under the impression that his homeroom teacher was another student.

"Whoops!" She called as she nearly knocked over a boy standing near the window. "Sorry about that, I should have been looking where I was going."

The boy who she'd tripped over, a taller guy with brown hair and piercing green eyes. He straightened the collar of his black shirt, making sure a pendant which he wore on a chain was sitting properly, then nodded and walked toward his seat.

"...Right then," The girl shrugged. "Well class, my name is Flannery and I'm going to be your homeroom teacher this year."

Red was surprised to hear this; the girl looked far too young to be a teacher, not to mention a bit under-dressed. She wore a black tied-off shirt which showed her midriff, along with blue flared-bottom pants held up with a white cloth belt. Her red hair was held back by a band, seeming to flare out in all directions.

"We lucked out for sure," A voice whispered somewhere behind Red. "That teacher is hot!"

Flannery smiled. "I'm flattered that you think so. You might also like to know that I have very good hearing, so I can hear every word you're saying."

The boy who had spoken suddenly took a large interest in something on the floor.

"Now then, I'm going to be honest, this is my first time teaching, so it may be a bit rocky for a while, but I promise we'll figure out a system fast enough," She looked down at a clipboard. "Right, first day announcements..."

Red soon found it difficult to keep track of the announcements. Flannery was enthusiastic and cheerful, making it easy to listen to her, but a constant beating in the background kept distracting him. He knew what it was of course, but most days he simply tuned it out. Today, with all these people around him, most of them quietly whispering to each-other, it was like a cacophony.

"...Seems pretty young to be teaching a high school class..." A snippet of conversation caught his interest. He found its source to be the boy who Flannery had tripped over earlier, conversing over the back of his chair with the girl in the seat beside Red's.

"Yeah, I wonder how old she is," The brunette agreed, straightening the white hat emblazoned with a pokeball symbol atop her head. "Do you think maybe she's still a college student?"

"That would explain why she only teaches homeroom," The boy replied. "She's probably doing this as part of her major or something," Unexpectedly, the boy turned to face Red. "What do you think?"

Red jumped slightly. What was with people randomly striking up conversations with him today? "Who, me?"

"Yeah," The boy nodded. "What do you think about Miss Flannery?"

Red shrugged, looking toward their teacher who was now explaining something about swim team tryouts. "She seems really...enthusiastic. I think you're right about her being college-aged too, I'd guess early twenties or so."

The boy grinned. "Impressive deduction. What's your name, kid?"

Red frowned a bit upon being referred to as "kid" by someone his own age. "My name is Red. What's yours?"

The boy smirked. "How ironic, I'm Green."

"And my name is Blue," The girl spoke up. On closer observation, Red took note of her blue sleeveless top and short red skirt. Realizing he was probably staring, he quickly turned. "That's, ah, pretty interesting. All of us being named after colors, I mean."

"I guess so," Green shrugged. "So are you new? I don't remember seeing you last year."

"Yeah," Red nodded. "Just moved in a few weeks ago."

"Cool," Green nodded. "Well if there's ever something you need to know about this place, come to me. I'm kind of the authority on what goes on here."

"Sure you are," Blue rolled her eyes before returning her attention to Red. "So, if you don't mind me asking, are you human?"

"No need to just blurt out that kind of question," Green chastised. "Don't worry about that, Red, you don't have to answer that."

Before Red could reply, Flannery cleared her throat, bringing everyone's attention back to the front.

"Now, here's what you can expect for the rest of the day..."

-X-

Yellow collapsed into the chair beside Red at the lunch table he'd chosen, panting.

"Phew, that was intense!" She huffed. "High school sure is different from Junior High..."

"You got that right, but at least the food's better," Gold said as he sat down across from them. "Hey, where's everyone else?"

"Still in line," Red explained, pointing to where Silver, Green and Blue stood in line. It hadn't taken long for Red to figure out that they all knew each-other, as they had already been at the school together for two years. Plus, Blue and Silver had know each-other since they were kids. Crystal, on the other hand, was nowhere to be seen.

"You bring your lunch from home too?" Yellow asked, pointing to Red's bag. The boy opened it and nodded.

"I'm allergic to some of the stuff they use in it," He explained.

"You're missing out then," Gold noted. "The chocolate cake is excellent when they make it, though a bit on the dry side..."

Yellow pulled out her lunch, a regular peanut butter sandwich with jam, along with a banana on the side. She had made it the night before, so it was a little bit soggy, but otherwise perfectly fine. She unwrapped it and took a bite, chewing quietly as Red and Gold talked.

"I've gotta be honest though, my English teacher, Blaine is kinda intense," Gold was saying. "This was the first day and he gave us a pop quiz-I didn't even know what most of it was talking about."

"Maybe if you studied once in a while before now you would remember what you've learned in previous years," Yellow noted.

"You're starting to sound like Crystal," Gold complained. "I'm plenty smart!"

Yellow laughed at this while Gold turned away, fuming. "What about you Red? How was your first day here?"

Red thought about it for a minute. "It was...different. For one thing, it feels like people can't stop talking to me."

"I know the feeling," Gold assured him. "You may not have realized it yet, but I'm kind of a legend here. It's hard to keep the crowds held back, but we just have to grin and bear it," He patted Gold on the shoulder. "Don't worry, you're the shiny new toy that none of them has seen before. They'll back off after a week or so."

Red nodded absently, staring down at his food. He seemed to be deep in thought right up until the bell rang and the students began heading back to their classes. Yellow walked beside him to their only shared class for the day, history, wondering what was going on in his head.

In class, they were greeted by Blue, who waved them over.

"So I guess you two are pretty buddy-buddy now, right?" Blue asked.

"Uhh..." Yellow wasn't sure what to say.

"That's a good thing," Blue assured her. "Do you remember in Junior High when I was the new girl?"

"You mean when you punched Gold in the face for making fun of your dress?" Yellow snickered.

Blue frowned. "Yeah, that's right. But the thing is, if I'd had a friend right from the start I would've managed my anger better. So it's good that you're looking out for him," She turned, "And don't worry, you've got Green and I on your side as well. So I guess whether you like it or not, we're going to be your friends from now on!"

The three of them quieted down as Their teacher walked in. Bertha was a gray-haired woman with a kind demeanor, and she got the class quieted down quickly and began taking roll. For several moments, the only sound heard was each person saying "here" in turn when their name was called, until a certain name came up.

"Sierra Young," Bertha called out, only to be received by silence. "Is Sierra not here today?"

The class was silent for an extended time, before a girl in the back finally raised her hand. "Ms. Bertha, Sierra...won't be at school anymore."

The older woman's face filled with recognition. "Oh, I see. My apologies. Let's continue on..."

Red turned quietly to look at Blue and Yellow. "What was that about?"

"Don't you know?" Blue asked in surprise. "That girl, Sierra Young, was murdered three days ago."

Red's expression was one of shock as Yellow asked, "Murdered? By who?"

"They say it was Steelfinger Edwards," Blue explained. "He's a serial killer who tears his victims apart. He's killed three people in the city so far, all of them girls around our age."

The blood in Yellow's veins turned to ice. "Three girls our age? That's horrible!"

Blue nodded. "They found the first two in old warehouses, and Sierra lying in an alleyway. The police assume he drugged the first two girls and took them there, but he didn't bother with her. It's...not pretty what he did to any of them."

Yellow shivered. She had known Sierra, the girl hadn't lived too far from her. She could just as easily have been the victim.

Blue had the sense to stop talking after that. Instead, she and the others listened as Bertha explained what they should expect from this class. None of them could shake the sickening feeling of dread which had settled over them.

-X-

Crystal chose to get off the bus at an early stop after school on the second day. She had some things she needed to get for her mother and there just happened to be a stop by the mall.

She walked down the street deep in thought, not even really noticing where she was going, just knowing that the mall was in this direction. It wasn't until she happened to look up that she realized she'd passed the corner she needed. Turning to head back, she took note of a man coming down the sidewalk toward her. He didn't seem threatening off-hand, but something about her set her on edge, as though he kept shooting side glances at her.

_Calm down, you're overreacting, _She attempted to steel her nerves, though she couldn't help but notice how empty the street was. In fact, the guy was the only other person nearby.

Just before she passed him, he looked up. "Excuse me, do you happen to have the time?"

Crystal nodded, sighing inwardly. This guy had only been wondering whether she had a watch, that was all. She brought her hand up to check it, but not before noticing a glint of gold on the man's own wrist.

_Weird,_ she thought. _Why would he ask for the time if he's got a watch of his own?_

And that was her last thought before the man darted forward and pressed a rag over her mouth. She didn't even have time to scream before he pulled her back into a side alley, the chloroform already ebbing at her mind.

"This time," The voice cackled as the world slowly went fuzzy, "We're going to have some fun."

With that, Crystal's conscious mind evaporated and everything bled to grey.

_-FIN-_

**Author's Note: Two quick things: Firstly, although it's not the style I'm used to, I'm sticking with the Japanese variations of Green and Blue, meaning that Green is the guy while Blue is the girl. I know I've been a stickler in the past for their dub forms, but I'm trying to get used to the original format. It will actually be important later.**

**Secondly, the ages of the characters in this story have been altered slightly, considering that by the time of BW2 the original three dex holders would be in their early 20s. Therefore, most of the ages have been chosen according to the chapter in which the characters last appeared (Emerald for the Gen 1 Dex holders, HGSS for Gen 2, etc.) A few ages are assumed, such as those of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, taking in to account their likely ages when/if an ORAS chapter begins. As for X and Y, it's currently just an educated guess as the time of events hasn't been confirmed yet, and most of the other trainers were introduced around 11/12.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you enjoyed, feel free to leave feedback. As always, I'm open to constructive criticism as well, so feel free to mention how I can improve.**


	2. Steelfinger Arc II

Yellow's second day of High School passed without too much excitement. Her teachers were nice for the most part, though some of them seemed a bit odd. The third day finally arrived and she soon found herself at lunch once again.

"Has anyone seen Crystal today?" Blue asked as their small group sat in conversation that day.

"She wasn't at the bus stop," Red noted. "In fact, the last time I saw her was yesterday afternoon when we were heading home."

"Probably came to school early to tutor some innocent kid," Red scoffed. "I swear, that girl is so straight-laced about school she might as well be teaching a class herself."

"But she wasn't in class last hour," Blue continued. "And she's never missed class for as long as I've known her."

"Then maybe she got sick," Green suggested. "Flu season starts soon, after all."

"Maybe," Blue sighed. "It's weird though, not to have her here arguing with Gold or with her nose buried in a book."

Yellow leaned over. "If you want, I can go check on her today after school. I live right down the street from her."

Blue nodded. "Thanks Yellow, that would be nice."

With the older girl consoled, Yellow continued through lunch and on until the end of the day, mildly worried for her friend's health. When school ended, she boarded the bus with Red, Gold and Silver.

"We'd love to help you cheer up Crystal if she's sick, but Silver and I both need to get home," Gold explained. "Let us know how she's feeling when you get there though."

Yellow nodded, before turning to Red. "Hey, I know I didn't formally ask you, so do you want to come see her?"

"Of course," Red nodded. "I'm worried about her too." He followed her off the bus toward Crystal's house.

"Thanks, that means a lot," Yellow smiled. She felt a little better having someone else join her in cheering up her friend. With no hesitation, she knocked on the door.

Her fist was still on the wood when the door was flung open. The two were shocked to be greeted by the tear-stricken face of Crystal's mother.

"Wh-where is she?" The clearly grief-stricken woman cried out upon seeing them. "Yellow, you have to know, where's my daughter?"

Yellow took a step back. "I thought she was here...we didn't see her at school so we assumed she was sick."

Crystal's mother continued to sob. "She told me...she was going to pick up some things we needed after school...and she never came back. I haven't heard from her since!"

As Yellow tried to sooth the frantic woman, Red grabbed her shoulder.

"Yellow," He said softly. "Do you remember what Blue told us two days ago? About the man who's been going after young girls?"

Yellow's eyes widened in understanding, and she turned quickly to make sure the sobbing woman behind her wasn't listening. "You think he kidnapped Crystal?"

Red nodded. "He probably found her on the way to the mall or coming back. We need to hurry." He turned sharply and began to walk.

"What do you mean hurry?" Yellow called after him. "What are we going to do?"

Red turned back with determination in his eyes. "We need to find her as soon as possible. Because for all we know...she could already be dead."

Without another word, he continued on, not even pausing to check if she was following.

_This is insane_, Yellow thought. _What can we do to stop a man who kills people for fun?_ Hadn't Blue said he did it by tearing them apart? What kind of monster was capable of that sort of thing?

But this wasn't some horror story happening to a nameless character. She wasn't a hero, but she was the best they had right that moment. Crystal was her friend, and she needed her help.

So after only a moment of hesitation, she followed Red down the street.

-X-

The world was pain. Crystal had been floating for hours on end in it, the agony twisting down her spine like a swirling vortex.

"Now this is more like it," Her captor laughed to the side. "A victim who can't run away or fight back. I sure picked an excellent target this time!"

"Why?" Crystal managed to groan. "Why are you doing this?"

Steelfinger turned to her with a grin. "Because I can. That's really all there is to it; I can capture people, torture them, kill them, and there's nobody who's able to stop me."

"So you're planning to kill me then," Crystal noted. "But what do you get from it, other than feeling like you're better than everyone?"

"...You talk to much," Steelfinger decided, yanking on Crystal's hair. The girl shrieked in pain despite having believed any other torture couldn't have made the ache throughout her entire body worse.

"I have half a mind to kill you right now," Steelfinger admitted, "But what would be the fun in that? I have a reputation to uphold, so we can keep going until you break down and give out on your own. But you're a bit more entertaining than the others, so I think I'll keep you alive for a while. And maybe if you behave I might even let you have a bit of pleasure before killing you."

Crystal promptly spat in his face. "I'd kill myself before I let that happen you monster."

The balding man chuckled, holding his hand up, palm facing him. "You know, it's funny that you choose to use that word. Just then it was an insult, but isn't that what you call all those like me? And if you despise me while using that name, wouldn't that imply that you also hate those who you would call your friends?" He accented his point as his fingers slowly began to grow, taking on a metallic sheen. They extended until they were a little more than a foot long then stopped. "After all, they're all freaks just like me."

"They're nothing like you!" Crystal yelled. "They're good people no matter what they are!"

"We shall see," Steelfinger replied smugly, holding his hand over her. "If they really are your friends, won't they come looking for you? Or perhaps they haven't even noticed that you're gone yet."

Crystal prepared to yell, to swear, to curse this cold-hearted creature with every breath in her body. What came out instead was a drawn-out scream as one of the metal fingers stabbed down into her arm.

"We'll see how loyal you are to your friends when you're bruised, mutilated, on the verge of death. Mark my words, you'll be cursing them before I'm through."

When the second spike drove its way in next to its partner, Crystal had no choice but to scream again.

-X-

"How do we even know where she is in a place like this?" Yellow panted. "This city is enormous! It could take weeks to find her!"

Red shook his head. "We know she must have been taken somewhere between here and the mall, so now we just need to find where. If we're lucky we may even find something ofo hers to have a Pokemon use to follow her scent."

"But I don't have any of mine with me-we aren't allowed to bring them on campus," Yellow protested. "A-are you saying you do?"

"Of course I do," Red replied. "I don't bring them out at school, of course, but I keep them with me."

Yellow shook her head. There was so much about this boy she didn't understand yet. Why was she blindly following him to what could very well be their death?

_Ba-dum_

Red froze. "Did you hear that?"

_Ba-dum...Ba-dum_

"Hear what?" Yellow asked. "There's nothing around here."

_Ba-dum...Ba-dum...Ba-dum_

"It's this way, I'm sure of it," The black-haired boy declared, turning off into an alleyway.

"Hold on!" Yellow protested. "What if that isn't even Crystal? And what is it that you can hear but I can't?" She stopped suddenly as a thought occured to her.

"Trust me, something is this way. I can hear it getting fainter, but it's there," Red insisted. He realized he was no longer being followed and turned. "What's wrong?"

Yellow approached him slowly. "Red...this might seem like a bad time to ask this...but are you human?"

Red frowned as though considering the question. "Well I...does it make a difference either way right now? Human or not, we need to help our friend," He paused. "Would that change things if I said yes or no?"

Yellow took a long time to answer. "I...guess not. I'm worried though. How are we going to deal with this guy if we do meet him?"

Red thought about it for a minute. "I can distract him while you free Crystal, assumin, of course that she's...still alive."

Yellow shook her head. "Not okay, I won't let you put yourself at risk like that."

Red gave her a thumbs-up. "Trust me, I can be pretty quick when I try. I just have to avoid getting hit, right?"

"I...guess..." Yellow nodded hesitantly. "I still think there might be another way..."

This will be the best possibility for saving her-I doubt he can go after two people at once," Red continued. "Honestly you'll probably have the tougher job if Crystal is hurt. I'll make sure to give you time to get away though."

Yellow nodded. "Still, what proof do you have that she's even nearby? This guy could have taken her miles away by now."

Red shook his head. "Everyone he's killed who lived in the city died while still inside it. He wouldn't be able to drive with the risk of being caught by a traffic camera so he would need to catch people close to their final destination to minimilize the distance he would need to drag them to get back."

"Someone certainly has studied up on this," Yellow remarked. "How did you learn all of that?"

"My dad...worked with detectives a lot," Red answered as he turned a corner. "He picked up on some of their tricks and taught them to me."

_Past tense,_ Yellow noted. _I get the feeling there's more to that story, but now's not the time._

They continued for several minutes through more winding passages. How Red could be so sure they were on the right trail was beyond her. But eventually they reached the base of an old warehouse.

"This is the place, I'm sure of it," Red announced, stopping. "Look, it's still in use, but barely anything is inside."

"A summer warehouse," Yellow nodded. "During summer people probably store things here when they leave on vacation. But while the school year is going it would be practically empty."

Red nodded, impressed by her deduction. "Nobody would think to look for this guy in a place that's still being used," He quietly made his way to the side door and tested the lock. "It's bolted shut, I can't budge it."

"Let me try something," Yellow requested, kneeling down beside the lock. She pulled a hairpin out of her pocket and slid the two grooves into the lock, fiddling around with t.

"Why do you have a hair pin if you're always wearing that hat?" Red asked as he watched her work.

"The other girls need them sometimes," Yellow grunted as she slid the pin around. "Plus it's always nice to have a backup for emergencies." With a click, the lock slid to the side. "Like this."

"Thanks," Red whispered, turning the knob again. This time he met no resistance as the door slid open.

"Remember, stay low, and stay quiet," He muttered, taking a few steps into the building with Yellow at his side. "When we spot him I'll move in as a distraction while you find Crys."

The door suddenly slammed shut behind them as a figure stepped out from behind it.

"But how are you going to manage," Steelfinger grinned. "If he finds you first?"

The two teens froze for an instant before Red grabbed Yellow's arm and burst into motion. He bolted toward the other end of the room, not looking back.

"There's nowhere for you to go," The killer laughed as Red was forced to stop at a wall. "You may as well give up now, and I might let you live long enough to watch me finish off your little friend." He took a few steps closer, leveling his gaze at Yellow. "After that, who knows? Maybe I'll at least keep the girl around to entertain me."

Yellow stopped and held her arms out defiantly. "I'm not going to let you hurt anybody else, you hear me?"

"Yellow," Red hissed. "What are you doing?"

The girl nodded to the nearby door. "I'm guessing Crystal is back there. You're closer and stronger, so you're going to get her out instead of me."

Red's eyes widened in shock. "But what if you get killed? There's no way you can outrun..."

He trailed off when he saw the look in her eyes. She was fully aware of what would happen.

"I see," Steelfinger chuckled as his hand began to morph into a metal claw. "You're planning to sacrifice yourself so your friends can escape. How noble of you." He crouched slightly, arm poised back. "Well in that case, I'll be happy to oblige!"

He dashed forward with nearly inhuman speed, his metal talons poised to kill.

She closed her eyes, the only sound was the steady beating of her own heart. She hoped Red was running to save Crystal instead of trying to play a hero.

_At least I'll know that I helped,_ She smiled. There was a moment of pressure as the figure stopped in front of her, before something warm and wet sprayed her face.

_So then I guess that's it,_ she thought. _I'm going to die. But at least Crystal and Red will be safe..._

It took her several seconds to realize that there was no pain where there should have been, leading her to wonder why. Carefully she opened her eyes to find someone standing in front of her, back to her. She took in the black hair, but most notably the metal spike sticking out of the figure's back.

Then she screamed as loud as she could.

-X-

"You truly must be some kind of idiot," Steelfinger laughed.

he grinned down at Red, who had managed to leap into the path of the spikes. "You think yourself noble for saving your pathetic friend? You're nothing but a worthless human!"

Yellow had fallen to her knees, silent sobbing wracking her body. "Red...why?"

But unexpectedly, instead of screaming or anything of the sort, Red simply grinned, a bit of blood trickling down his lip.

"You're wrong," He panted. "Yellow isn't pathetic, she's the furthest thing from it," He paused, as though gathering his strength. "And who ever said...I was human?"

The shock hit Yellow like a grenade as she looked up at her friend. She noticed for the first time that he didn't seem to be faltering where he stood in the slightest. If anything, he seemed to be standing straighter. He brought a hand to his mouth to wipe the blood away, and she took note of its color-a much darker hue than anything she was used to seeing.

"What are you talking..." Steelfinger tried to demand an answer, but he trailed off. "I see now...what you are. But that's not possible!"

"What is he saying Red?" Yellow asked. "Wh-what are you?"

Red turned to look at her despite still being held in place by the metal. "Earlier you asked me if I was human...and I avoided the question. This isn't how I was planning to tell you, but the answer...is no."

With that, he grabbed ahold of the spikes and ripped them out of his chest. The woulnds closed over instantly.

Steelfinger took a few steps back. "How is this possible? You...how can you even be here? Your people are supposed to stay far away from humans-you're dangerous!"

_He healed instantly,_ Yellow thought. _And he seemed to know where to go by listening to something I couldn't hear. Something...like a heartbeat, maybe?_

"Not everyone like me is a mindless beast," Red noted. "Though most of how I can be here is self-control. It helps that I've never been around human beings before in my life."

Yellow stood shakily. "Red, I think I get it now...but I need you to say it. I have to hear that it's true from you."

Red nodded, his eyes glowing slightly. In the dim lighting, their bright red color was obvious.

"I'm a vampire," He admitted. "But don't worry, I won't bite."

Yellow had heard stories about vampires, how they were ravenous creatures which fed on human blood and could kill a human with a single blow. The stories said that if you were bitten by a vampire but got away before they drained all of your blood, there was a chance that you might be turned into one. They were mindless, monsters, bent on killing those around them.

They were nothing like Red.

Steelfinger seemed to be recovering from his initial shock and was now leaning in eagerly. "So this is a vampire in the flesh. I'll be honest, I never thought I'd meet one of you. But not only have I met one now, I also get to kill one!"

Red frowned. "Look, despite what you've done, I don't want to kill you. But if you're going to try to hurt my friends, I won't hold back."

"That's what I like to hear!" Steelfinger cheered. "Come on, hit me with everything you've got!"

Red sighed. "Alright, but I warned you," He turned to the side, "Yellow, get to Crystal and make sure she's safe. I'll be right there."

His friend nodded, hurrying toward the door.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Steelfinger thrust his hand forward, his metal index finger xetending far longer than the others. Before it could reach Yellow, Red reached out and grabbed it, holding it back.

"She's not the one you should be concerned about," The boy informed him. "Focus on me."

Steelfinger paused for a moment before the overlong spike arched upward instead, knocking some wooden beams loose. Yellow jumped away as the wreckage rained down, but a large crossbeam still slammed into her leg.

"A little something to remember me by until I come back to kill you," The killer cackled. He was cut off as Red slammed a fist into his face, sending him sprawling. He flew back, his head slamming into the concrete wall with a sickening crunch. With a sigh, the man collapsed in an unconscious pile.

Red ran over to his friend and tried to help her up.

"That beam hit you pretty hard," He noted. "Are you alright.?"

Yellow cursed under her breath. "My whole leg feels like it's on fire. I don't think I can move it."

Red gingerly lifted her, pausing any time she winced as the leg was bumped, and helped her into the next room. There, they found Crystal, bloody and unconscious, but alive.

"Can you get me over to her?" Yellow asked. "I may have an idea?"

The two made their way over, painstakingly slowly. Red set his friend down in a chair beside Crystal and looked her over.

"She's pretty bad, but most of her wounds are superficial-meant to cause pain instead of damage," He reported. As he continued to inspect the wounds, something warm trickled onto his hand. He looked down to see a drop of blood sitting on his knuckle after falling from one of the girl's wounds. There was a jerking sensation in the back of his mind.

"I...I can't," He gasped, his head growing foggy. He took a few steps back. "Sorry, I can't be around blood. It makes it hard to...resist."

Yellow nodded understandingly. "You've got a lot of willpower. Whenever we talked about vampires in school we were told that even a few drops of blood can send them into a mindless frenzy."

"That's true," Red shivered. "It helps that I've never had fresh blood before. It's harder for us if we have."

"Never?" Yellow asked as she tried to move her chair closer to her unconscious friend.

"Donor packets," Red explained. "Old blood works just as well for us, and it helps build up resistances," He looked over. "Err...what are you planning to do?"

"Watch," Yellow hushed him. She reached out and allowed her hand to hover over the unconscious girl's arm. "Just...don't freak out, alright?"

"I'll...try?" Red agreed, still trying to block out the smell of the blood.

Yellow closed her eyes and began to focus as a thin glimmer of light spread across her palm. The light danced around her hand before extending to the injuries. Slowly the twin holes in Crystal's arm began to close, all trace vanishing inseconds. This was followed by the various cuts and bruises on her body.

Red was speechless for a moment before walking over. "That was...amazing," He turned to her. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you do that? Are you a witch or something?"

Yellow shook her head. "I'm human, it's just something my family has always been able to do."

Slowly, Crystal's eyes opened and she looked around. "Where am I? Is he gone?"

Yellow reached over to hug her. "You're safe now, don't worry."

Crystal nodded. "Thanks Yellow, and..." She turned and noticed the holes in Red's shirt. "Oh no! He got you, didn't he?" She sat up and looked closer. "Wait, there are only holes in your shirt, how...?"

"Oh, right," Red chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Err...well you see, I'm a vampire."

Crystal's eyes went wide. "I...I don't feel so good." She laid back against the table, groaning.

"Relax, He's not going to eat you," Yellow assured her. "Even if he is probably a bit hungry."

Crystal frowned at her. "That isn't funny. Y-you are joking, right?"

"Yeah, she is," Red laughed. A serious look descended on his face. "We don't really have time for chit-chat; Edwards could wake up at any minute."

"You're right," Yellow nodded. She tried to stand, but gasped in pain as she stumbled and fell. Red caught her before she could get hurt and helped her sit on the ground. "Your leg is probably broken, I don't think we'll be able to get you out of here and far enough away before he gets back up."

"Can't you just...heal yourself?" Crystal asked, obviously knowing about her friend's ability. "I mean, you did it to me, right?"

Yellow shook her head. "It doesn't work that way; I can only heal other people. Don't worry though, I'll be fine if I wrap it up and stay hidden back here; you guys can go get help for me when you call the authorities."

"That's not an option," Crystal shook her head. "What if Steelfinger comes back around to attack you, or worse, tortures you? You'd be a sitting duck, and trust me, if the things he was talking about had any truth to them you really don't want that happening."

Red, meanwhile, was being very quiet, which Yellow took notice of. "What are you thinking, Red?"

The boy looked up suddenly. "Well I was just thinking that maybe..." He shook his head. "Never mind, it was a stupid idea."

"I think I might know," Crystal declared. "You were thinking about using your venom."

Red looked down quickly, though she was obviously correct. "Yeah, like I said, stupid."

"No it isn't, it's brilliant! Dangerous, but brilliant," Crystal declared.

"What are you two talking about?" Yellow grunted through a wave of pain as she tried to move her leg again. "Doesn't vampire venom kill people or something?"

"Don't you ever pay attention in class?" Crystal sighed. "When a vampire bites someone, they secrete a venom into the bloodstream. This venom has incredible regenerative properties, which is why vampires can heal so quickly, and even from fatal wounds-their blood is impregnated with the stuff.

"Anyway, the venom is also what turns the victim into a vampire, but since it travels through the blood it won't do anything if the person is completely drained before the healing sets in. However, in doses too small to actually change the victim, it can pass on those regenerative properties, healing wounds and stuff. That's why vampires are hunted so much-people use their venom as a miracle drug."

"So you're saying you could fix my leg?" Yellow asked, turning to Red.

"Yeah," The boy admitted. "But it's dangerous. You saw how I got when Crystal was hurt; human blood is like a drug for us. What if I accidentally used too much venom, or worse, couldn't stop? I don't want to risk your life."

Yellow grabbed ahold of his arm. "That isn't how friendship works, Red. It's based on honesty and trust. And right now I trust you not to hurt me," She grinned. "Besides, it's a better idea than sitting here waiting for a psycho with metal hands to wake up and try to kill me."

Slowly, Red nodded. "If you're sure." He knelt down beside her but paused. "I've...never actually done this to a person before; do I just bite you?"

"How else would you do it?" Crystal pointed out. "You've seen vampire movies, you know how it works."

Red shot her a dirty look, but did as she instructed, leaning toward Yellow's neck.

"This is going to hurt," He warned. "Are you sure about this?"

Yellow gritted her teeth and nodded, closing her eyes. "Just do it, I'll be fine."

Red leaned in closer and opened his mouth. He could sense his friend's heartbeat, practically hear the blood rushing through her veins. The sound was hypnotic.

_Keep your head_, he scolded himself. _If you lose your senses Yellow could get hurt. Focus. Help her._

So he blocked out the senses. The feelings, the smell, the sounds. All of that was repressed as he carefully bit down. Yellow squirmed a bit as fang parted skin, but soon relaxed a little. A bit of confidence flared up in Red's chest. He was keeping his head against what should have been a tide of emotion.

And then the taste hit.

Since he was young, Red had only ever tasted blood from donor packets or pills. It was often cold and bitter, not an enjoyable thing at all.

This was something different. Warm and metallic, yet somehow sweet at the same time. The tantalizing taste was beyond anything he'd ever dreamed. He wanted to stay like that forever.

But far too soon, something broke the trance-a distant yet familiar sound. Someone was calling out for him to stop.

With a grinding suddenness, icy clarity returned to him. He could hear Crystal shouting that he was taking too much, feel Yellow slowly begin to droop in his arms.

_She's going to pass out_ He realized. _If I don't stop, she's going to die._

So with all the willpower he could muster, Red pulled away. Thin rivulets of blood dripped down his chin and from the point where he'd bitten on Yellow's neck. His instinctive mind had been so focused on drinking that he wasn't sure if he'd used any venom at all.

"That was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen," Crystal panted. "You bit her and she started struggling, but then she just sort of drooped to the side and stopped resisting."

Red nodded, panting. "When a person is bitten by a vampire it puts them into a sort of trance. It's a defensive instinct to keep them from trying to escape." He knelt over the unconscious girl carefully. "Did I...go too far? Is she alive?"

Crystal laid two fingers against her friend's neck, on the opposite side of where Red had bitten. "She's alive. Here look, you can feel a pulse," She motioned for his hand.

Red recoiled. "No don't." He looked down sadly. "If I feel it, I don't know if I would be able to hold back a second time."

Crystal was about to eply, but gasped suddenly. Before their eyes, the imprints where Red had bitten closed up without leaving a trace. Slowly, color flowed back into Yellow's face.

"She's alive," The boy smiled. "She's going to be okay."

"Let's just hope she's still human," Crystal added as she watched her friend's leg straighten, the bone and muscles reknitting themselves. "That really is amazing though."

"The venom is powerful enough that it can cure cancer," Red nodded. "It can let a human recover from almost anything."

"Almost?" Crystal asked.

"It isn't as potent on humans as it is on vampires," Red expounded. "Dosages small enough to keep a human from turning don't work fast enough to let people recover from serious fatal wounds."

"So if someone was about to die, the only way you could save them is by turning them," Crystal nodded in understanding. "Let's just make sure it doesn't ever come to that."

Soon enough, Yellow began to stir, and was helped to sit up by both of them.

"How do you feel?" Red asked worriedly.

Yellow thought about it for a moment before smiling, showing off her very normal-looking teeth. "Alive, mostly...and human."

"Thank goodness for that," Crystal sighed in relief. "Now let's get you to your feet."

Taking Red's hand, the blond girl shakily stood, marveling for a moment that she could even do so, before pitching forward and grabbing ahold of Red.

"Whoops," She cried out. "Sorry, I'm still a bit light-headed." She paused for a moment, before wrapping her arms around her friend. "Thank you for helping me; I knew you could do it."

Red was not quite so calm. "I almost killed you."

"But you didn't," The girl reminded him. "And that's what matters most."

Crystal looked out the door. "Ah, not to kill the sappy moment or anything, but we should get out of here before he wakes up."

So the three headed quietly for the door, passing the unconscious Steelfinger before rushing back toward the more public streets.

"Something tells me that won't be the last we see of that guy," Red noted as they headed toward the city bus stop. "We'll need to be careful from this point on-he already knows who Crystal is and it won't be too difficult to figure out who Yellow and I are as well."

"So what you're saying is that he's going to keep after us until he's behind bars," Crystal noted.

"Or until he dies," Yellow added. The other two fidgeted uncomfortably, though they had both been thinking the same thing.

With that somber thought, they quietly made their way home.

**AN: Yes, I realize the end was a bit abrupt. I finished this a little after midnight and didn't feel like drawing it out.**

**So for the end-of-chapter question, you now know that Red is a vampire and Yellow is a human-albeit a rather unique one. What type of monsters do you think the rest of the Adventures cast will be? Which ones do you think are human? Of course you won't find out quite yet, but feel free to leave a review with your guess. Thank you for your support of this story and I hope to see you in the next chapter!**


	3. Steelfinger Arc III

**AN: I just want to say thank you to everyone who has supported this story so far. Since I was asked, the first few arcs in this story-the ones I like to refer to as the introductory arcs-will each be about three chapters long, though some chapters may not be part of an arc at all, and most arcs later will be longer than three chapters. It all depends on how long it takes to finish each part of the story. So knowing that, this is the last chapter in the first arc. The next one will involve the story of several more characters.**

She hung in the blackness, suspended by an unseen force above a chasm which appeared to continue down for eternity. There was no sound other than her own breathing around her, and it seemed to muffle the entire scene.

After what felt like hours, a figure began to form off in the distance. Squinting, she could just make out its outline. It seemed to walk with a bobbing motion as though floating on the emptiness. Slowly she began to make out more details.

It was a man, clothing in disarray and covered with discolored patches. His straw-colored hair fell freely to his shoulders, flowing slightly behind him from his forward motion.

But as he approached, instead of assurance, a sudden sense of dread began to fill her body. A need to escape, to run away. As the man drew closer, she struggled against whatever held her bound, finally looking up to inspect it.

There, pounded through her wrist was a metal spike pinning her to some unfelt surface.

She started to kick and scream, desperately attempting to pull herself loose. The figure grew larger until it stood right before her.

"Game over," Steelfinger smirked, before stabbing a single spike directly into her heart.

Crystal woke with a gasp, sweat leaking from every pore. Her muscles were tensed, as though she had really been struggling against an unseen force.

"A nightmare," She panted, trying to calm herself down. "Just a nightmare...that's normal. The doctor said it happens after trauma...but it wasn't real..."

So why did she feel as though that spike really had been driven into her heart?

-X-

"You must have been terrified!" One of her classmates whose name she had never bothered to learn chattered. "He had you locked up in an old warehouse? Do you really think he was planning to kill you?"

"Of course not," A voice spoke up from behind them as Gold pushed his way through the crowd. "The known serial killer who has never left a victim alive just wanted to chat with her, maybe share a sip of brandy. Isn't that right?"

"Nobody asked you, Gold," Another girl sighed in exasperation. "I doubt Crystal wants to talk to you right now-she's not supposed to be under stress."

"Then I guess you ought to quit badgering her, huh?" Gold smirked at the girl. "I'm sure that's more stressful than any joke I could crack. Lay off."

And surprisingly, they did. The crowd of students who had gathered slowly dispersed until the two were alone.

"Thanks," Crystal muttered. "Though I'm sure they'll come back."

Gold shook his head. "Don't worry about them; it's your first day back so if they get too over the top you can always escape to the nurse, tell her all the attention is giving you migraines or something. I'll bet she would even let you skip the rest of your classes today."

Crystal looked aghast at the thought. "There's no way I would cut classes after being gone for an entire week. I'm far enough behind as it is."

Gold shrugged. "If you say so, though there are other kids who would jump to be in a position like yours right now. Hey, what do you say we go get some ice cream or something after school? My treat."

Crystal turned in interest. "Do my ears deceive me or does that sound suspiciously like a date?"

Gold waved his hand in a dismissing manner. "Are you crazy? I'm just trying to be a good friend is all. If you don't want to go..."

"No no, I do!" Crystal insisted. "Ice cream...that sounds really nice. Thanks Gold."

The boy nodded and checked his Pokégear. "Well I need to get to my next class. I'll meet you after school by the flag pole. Make sure your mom knows or she'll have a heart attack." With that he waved and walked off.

Crystal waved back, the slightest hint of a blush creeping into her cheeks. She shook her head and frowned. What had she been thinking? Of course Gold wouldn't be asking her out. Why would she even care? He was stubborn, hot-headed and annoying; the last person she would ever fall for.

But still, it was nice to have someone besides Yellow and Red who cared about her, who was actually making an effort to make her feel better.

And admittedly his goggles were kind of cute.

-X-

"One last question," Yellow begged for the sixth time. "Why doesn't the sun hurt you? Isn't it supposed to turn vampires to ash or something?"

"That's mostly a myth," Red replied, "Although there's some truth to it. Vampires can go out in the sun unprotected, but they burn easily. It's like when you get a sunburn, but it happens a lot faster. To counter this, we can form this sort of see-through second skin to block the sunlight. You can't even see it after it forms, so people can't even tell it's there,"

Yellow nodded in amazement. "And what about garlic? Does that hurt you? Make your throat swell up?"

Red shrugged, taking another bite of his hamburger. The two were at the Darkwing Mall's food court where Yellow was squeezing every drop of information about Red's vampiric nature she could get from him.

"Well it's not quite that extreme. Vampires are all allergic to garlic is all, although nobody is sure why. It gets a little annoying because I always used to be partial to that stuff before I was...changed."

Yellow nodded attentively. "So you haven't always been a vampire then?"

Red shook his head. "Vampires don't reproduce the same way as people, as you might remember from when I...fixed your leg last week. Female vampires can't have children, and male vampires...well that's another story."

Yellow was about to inquire further when her phone suddenly rang. She turned away for a moment to answer it. "Hello?"

"Yellow," Her uncle's voice rang from the other end of the line. "You'd better have an excellent explanation for why your room is a disaster."

The blonde raised an eyebrow in confusion. "But I cleaned it before I left, I promise."

Her uncle scoffed. "Then explain to me why it looks like a train wreck. I want to see you back here in twenty minutes or you'll be grounded for a full week."

"Yes uncle," Yellow sighed. "I'll be right there." She closed the phone and turned back to Red apologetically. "Sorry about this. I'll be in deep trouble if I don't go sort this out. It was probably just Chuchu or Ratty knocking things over."

Red stood quickly. "If you like I can come help you. I have nothing else to do today until my mom gets home."

"Oh, I can't ask you to do that," Yellow shook her head furiously. "It's fine, you probably don't want to see my messy room anyway."

"Really, it's no trouble," Red insisted, following her down the street. "Besides, you shouldn't be walking home alone..." He leaned in, "You don't know who might be hiding along the way."

Yellow's eyes widened in realization, "Alright, if you're sure," They continued walking toward their neighborhood. "You know, you don't fit any of the stereotypes I'd always been taught about vampires. People always told me they were ravenous monsters who just want to kill people."

Red looked down. "Well unfortunately, there are some vampires like that out there. If someone becomes a vampire without another person to keep them under control or a way to contain themselves…they usually end up exactly like that."

"So then why are there some who are nice like you?" Yellow inquired further.

"The story goes that there was a count who had been chained up in a dungeon by his people during an attempted revolution. While he was there, a wild vampire burst in and attacked him, attempting to drain his blood. At the last second he drove the monster back and it started going after the other prisoners instead. By the time it realized the count was still human, he had already turned. The chains were too strong for him to break-some versions of the story say they were made of silver which even a vampire's strength can't break-but he was still able to fight the thing off."

"He killed it?" The enraptured girl inquired.

Red shook his head. "Supposedly, he impaled it alive, wrapped a spare bit of his chain around its neck. Then when his captors returned to finish him off, the count set the thing loose on them. After it was done, the vampire fled, but the bodies of the guards still carried the keys to the cell. Somehow he was able to get ahold of the keys and release himself, and by then he had regained enough of his sanity to control himself. He went off into the woods and began creating vampires, training them until they could act just like humans, and that discovery of his is how I stand before you today."

Yellow was speechless after the story. Come to think of it, she remembered something mentioned about that in history once, but had forgotten it until now. "That's amazing."

Red looked up and pointed out their location. "We've reached your house. Is it still alright if I help you? I'm actually pretty fond of cleaning."

Yellow smiled. "Sure, but believe me, you have no idea what you're getting yourself into," She opened the front door to find her uncle standing there waiting.

"I see you brought some help along," Wilton noted, clearly not impressed. "I'm assuming that's why he's here, yes?"

"Yes uncle," Yellow nodded. "You remember Red, right? He and his mom moved in a few weeks before school started."

Wilton nodded. "I heard a bit about you from your mom the other day, and she says you're a good kid. Make sure you don't prove her wrong."

"I wouldn't dream of it sir," Red bowed. The gesture caught Yellow's uncle off-guard, who let the slightest hint of a smile creep into his firm expression.

"Well you seem to know how to respect your elders at least," The older man nodded, stepping aside. "But if I catch you two doing anything else up there, you'll be out of this house faster than you can even blink!"

"Uncle!" Yellow moaned, her face going bright red. "Red's just a friend."

"That's what they all say," Her uncle huffed. "Now get to work, and you'll have to do something about the scratches in the dresser too."

"Yes uncle," Yellow nodded, quickly leading Red upstairs to a hallway with two doors.

"I met a zombie once who didn't want to bite my head off half as much as your uncle seems to," Red noted jokingly.

"He's really not as bad as he seems," Yellow promised. "I'm sure he's just trying to put up a tough act in front of you."

"Well it worked," The black-haired boy grumbled.

Yellow smiled at that, before opening the door on the left and stepping inside. That smile was quickly replaced by a look of disbelief. The room beyond was completely thrashed, with drawers pulled open, covers undone, and paper and clothes lying all over the floor. She noted the long set of scratch marks her uncle had mentioned, practically blending in to the rest of the beat-up old dresser if one wasn't looking for them.

"This doesn't look like a random mess," Red noted, walking around a bit. "It almost looks like someone came in and searched the place. I doubt any of your Pokemon would have done this."

Yellow nodded in agreement as she looked around. Suddenly, she noticed quite self-consciously that Red was standing beside a very particular pile of clothes.

"Hey, do me a favor," Yellow got his attention quickly. "Can you go down and check the backyard for my Pokemon? All six should be back there. Just in case it was one of them who scuffed up the dresser, maybe you could check their nails for paint quickly?"

Red raised an eyebrow at the odd request. "Uh...sure, I can do that." He nodded once more to her before heading out and down the stairway.

Yellow sighed in relief before grabbing the piles of clothes and tossing them into their respective drawers. She could sort them out later when there wasn't a boy standing in the middle of her room.

A moment later, Red returned just as Yellow closed the last dresser drawer. "Wow, you sure work fast."

"Were they all there?" Yellow asked. "Did you check their nails?"

The boy nodded. "None of them seemed like they had scratched anything up, so something else must have done it."

A chill suddenly ran down the length of Yellow's spine. "Or maybe...some_one_."

Red looked down at the gouges again. Four of them in perfect rows. "You're thinking it was Steelfinger, aren't you?"

The blonde nodded. "You said he might be able to find us...because he knows our names. Well now I think he has," She looked down, feeling a bit sick to her stomach. "My uncle said he found the marks when he came home. If either of us had been here we could have died."

Red put a reassuring hand on her arm. "Don't worry, the cops are looking for this guy and he can't run forever."

"I hope they catch him," Yellow shivered. "After what he did to Crystal, I would be perfectly alright never to see that guy again..."

-X-

Yellow's uncle had been reasonably lenient on the two of them once the room was tidied up. He still seemed suspicious of Red, but nowhere near as grumpy as he had been when they arrived. After a resigned sigh, he finally permitted Yellow to head out again for a little while.

Soon enough it was getting dark, and as the sun set Yellow began to grow nervous.

"What if he comes back?" She asked as she walked through the park with Red and Crystal, who had joined the two after her ice cream trip with Gold. "Suppose he's waiting for me to come back and go to sleep before he pounces?"

Crystal put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, if you're concerned, you can sleep over at my house tonight. I'll just need to clear it with your uncle first."

"What about him though?" Yellow pressed. "He might get attacked too."

"I'll make sure he doesn't," Red promised. "I can keep an eye on your house tonight. I don't sleep all that much anyway."

Yellow looked a bit more confident about her family's security now. "Thanks guys, I really appreciate that."

"Well, I need to go," Crystal nodded, "I promised Gold I'd help him with his math homework; he's probably waiting for me."

"Is he really?" Red smirked, flashing her a knowing look. "First ice cream and now a study session? You two seem to be getting pretty close..."

Crystal's face flashed through four different shades of red as she shook her head furiously. "I-it's not like that! He just wanted to buy me ice cream because I just got back, and I'm only helping him out because he's lazy and needs to improve!"

Yellow took a deep breath in, a grin on her face as she tried with all her might not to burst out laughing. "Ah...young love. How romantic."

"Sh-shut up Yellow!" Crystal stuttered. "If you two are going to be immature about it then I might as well leave." She marched off heavily, still blushing from ear to ear.

"Maybe we shouldn't have teased her," Red sighed. "She's still getting over what happened, after all."

"I dunno, maybe some romance is exactly what she needs right now," Yellow shrugged.

"With Gold though?" Red noted. "Even I think that's a bit far-fetched. Those two are like day and night."

"You might be surprised," Yellow grinned. She checked her watch. "It's getting late, we should probably head back. I don't want to risk my uncle grounding me for missing curfew."

The vampire boy nodded, and the two turned to head back home.

-X-

Steelfinger did not return that night, or the one following. By the second day Yellow had decided she would probably be safe in her own bed so long as Red kept his window open.

"Even a few houses away, I'll be able to hear if anything happens," He explained. This had reassured Yellow and she slept much more peacefully.

Three days after her room had been broken into, Yellow was sitting at lunch with her friends, starting to think that maybe the psycho had given up or assumed he had the wrong house.

"What'd I tell you?" Gold grinned to Crystal. "All the kids who were bugging you have finally buzzed off. Welcome back to your original standing as a fellow social outcast."

Crystal seemed relieved, but it was Green of all people who seemed bothered. "None of us are really in the mood for your jokes Gold."

"No need to be a sourpuss," The goggle-geared boy noted. "I'm just trying to lighten the mood, sorry if I penetrated your lonely sphere of humorlessness."

Green sighed. "Well maybe my sphere and I will head somewhere else then." He turned quickly and strode off.

"What's his deal?" Gold asked. "What happened to the happy go-lucky Green from last week?"

"He's just anxious," Blue explained, picking up a carrot with her fork. "He always gets like that around this time. Don't worry, he'll bounce back soon."

Red was just about to ask what was particular about "this time" when a student passed by handing out copies of the school paper.

"That guy's in the news again," Silver noted quietly, showing them a grainy image of Steelfinger running through an alley. "A reporter got a picture of him in the industrial section, so he's still in the city."

Oddly enough, it wasn't the fact that the criminal was still here that shocked Red. As he thought about it, he could never remember hearing Silver speak for as long as he'd known him. This seemed to be a shock to the others as well as they all seemed taken aback.

"That creep is still hanging around?" Gold gritted his teeth. "He's got some divine punishment in his future for sure."

Yeah, and it's called lifetime imprisonment, if he's lucky," Blue nodded. "But how is it that a reporter had more luck catching up to that guy than the police force? Honestly, adults are useless." She gestured to Silver. "What else does it say?"

Instead of replying, Silver looked down, as though he'd expended his ability to speak for the day, before handing the paper to Crystal who scanned its contents.

"Police are trying to clear and cordon off the district, but a lot of major businesses operate there. Several companies are threatening to sue if they close it down."

"I can't say I disagree with them really," Gold noted. "I mean, sure the guy has done some terrible stuff but there's no way that's cause enough to shut down a quarter of the city. They just need to send in a team to track him down, not make all of this fuss."

"I think that may be the most intelligent sentence I've heard you speak in a long time," Yellow noted. "But as for me, I think this is a good thing. The sooner he's gone, the better."

"That's right, you and Red were the ones who found Crystal," Blue spoke up, as though she had just remembered that fact despite it being one of the most popular conversations at school for nearly a month. "You never did explain exactly how you got her out."

Yellow, Crystal and Red shared a three-way glance. They had agreed not to mention the details of how they had escaped, specifically the fact that Red was a vampire.

"We snuck in while Steelfinger was gone and grabbed her," Red explained, rehearsing their excuse. "Really it was a lucky thing that we didn't get caught."

The explanation seemed to satisfy Gold and Silver, but Blue still seemed a bit suspicious, as though she didn't buy their story.

"Well in any case, it's not our problem anymore, right?" Crystal spoke up. "By the way Gold, how'd you do on your math test?"

The black-haired boy looked up from his food with a grin and gave a thumbs-up. "I managed to get a "C" thanks to all that studying!"

Crystal's stance seemed to deflate slightly upon hearing this. "Oh, a "C" huh? That's great." She looked down. "Well, I'm finished eating, so I'm going to the library to study. I have a lot of catch-up to do still, and I can't waste any time."

"If you're sure," Yellow nodded. "Just be sure to stay safe, okay?"

Her blue-haired friend nodded. "Okay, I will."

-X-

The bell had just rung signifying the end of the lunch period and Crystal was hurrying to class. She had left the textbook for her next hour in her locker and she still needed to grab it. If she hurried, she might have a few extra minutes to study before class officially started.

Rounding the corner, she noticed some sort of crowd gathered around near her locker.

"What's going on?" She asked, trying to see around them. "Why are all these people here?"

In front of her, a younger girl wearing a blue bandana tied high over her head turned and noticed her. "Oh, there you are Crystal. You're going to want to see this."

Somewhat worried now, Crystal slowly made her way through the crowd. Nudging the final person aside, she fixed her gaze on her locker.

Then she screamed at the top of her lungs.

-X-

The words had been scored into the metal door, scraping away the paint in perfect lines to display a message.

"I found you girl," Gold recited. "And this time, you're not getting away so easily."

There was no name, but it seemed obvious who had put it there.

"How did he get into the school?" A boy asked.

"Or find your locker?" A girl piped up beside him. "Only the school administrators have access to student numbers."

The crowd pressed inward, questions assaulting Crystal like machine gun fire. Just as Yellow moved to interfere, Red stepped forward.

"That's enough," The boy spoke up, loud enough for everyone nearby to hear. "All of you, back up and give Crystal some space. You aren't helping her."

Something in his tone was so powerful that even Yellow's first urge was to step back and walk away, even though the comment obviously wasn't directed at her. Even Crystal shrank back for a moment.

"Thank you Red," Flannery spoke up as she arrived in the hall. "Students, please return to your regular classes. The Director and police have been notified, and are making preparation to search the area for this criminal. There is no need for the rest of you to get involved."

From that point, all the tensity which had mellowed out in the last few weeks snapped instantly back into force. It was eventually decided that Crystal would be placed into protective custody until things were sorted out.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have this guy soon," Officer Jenny explained to Crystal. "We're getting very close to finding this guy. You'll be able to head back home within the week, just watch."

Yellow and Red, on the other hand, were deemed to have mild enough involvement to the point that they could remain in their homes at night. But for reassurance, police cars would be posted at the ends of the street.

So now Crystal was in a private wing of the police department staying in a room which was just a little too small for comfort. She had guards posted outside and wasn't even able to take a bathroom break without being escorted by an officer (Female, of course.) Apparently these people seemed convinced that Steelfinger would find a way to worm through a window the size of a bread loaf and kill her while she was in the loo. But really she couldn't blame them; who knew what else this guy was capable of?

This was how she found herself that night, laying on a bed which was essentially a cot with a thick blanket on top, fearing what might happen.

At the same time though, she was bored out of her mind. She had finished her schoolwork hours ago, and they wouldn't even give her a book to read.

It wasn't until a knock sounded at her door that she was broken out of her bubble of boredom. The door slipped open and a cop stuck his head in.

"There are two kids at the front here to see you," He explained. "Just thought you should know they're coming down." With that he retracted his head and went back to his post.

Crystal sighed happily, glad that something was coming along to break through the mindless drone of her own silence-numbed thoughts. She wondered distantly who her visitors were, though she had a pretty good idea.

-X-

Red and Yellow walked into the police station later than they had intended, as the latter had insisted on picking up a bouquet of flowers and a book for Crystal. They were met at the front door by an officer who was himself just entering the building.

"You two are here late," The man noted. "You aren't in trouble, are you?"

Red shook his head. "We're here to see a friend, that's all."

The cop chuckled. "Is your friend a felon or member of the force. Because if you're here for the former it'll take a lot more than flowers to bail 'em out."

Red laughed politely, though something about this straw-haired officer put him ill at ease, though he couldn't determine why.

"In any case, I'm just here to end my shift, so don't let me stop you," The man waved them in. The two entered and began making their way down the halls.

"Did that guy look familiar to you?" Red asked. "I swear I've seen him somewhere before."

"Maybe he's the parent of someone at school," Yellow nodded. "I think I remember him too."

Red shrugged. "Oh well, we'll figure it out later. Crystal's probably waiting."

They informed another officer that they were there and waited to be cleared to go back. After a few minutes, the guy gave them a thumbs-up and they continued down the hallway.

"Thank goodness!" Crystal exclaimed as they entered. "I've been bored stiff for hours; what took you so long?"

"Nice to see you too," Yellow grinned, holding out the book. "Here, we bought this for you to pass the time. It's nice and big so it should keep you busy for a while."

"Well at least a day," Crystal nodded as she inspected it. She laughed at Yellow's expression of disbelief. "I'm joking, not even I can read that fast."

After Red handed her the flowers the three settled down to talk.

"My mom is probably hysterical," The blue-haired girl noted. "My phone doesn't work in here so I haven't been able to call her. I just know she's probably having a panic attack."

"Relax, we told her we would let her know how you were when we got back," Red assured her, attempting to arrange the flowers in a vase he had brought. "Hey, do you know if there's a faucet nearby? These need water."

Crystal pointed outside. "It's down the hall, just ask the guards if you get lost."

Red nodded in thanks before stepping out, leaving the girls alone.

"I really do hope they catch him soon," Crystal frowned. "I'd rather not be cooped up in here for a month, thank you."

Yellow giggled, sitting down beside her friend. She noted that the cot was just as uncomfortable as it looked. Her friend was in for a rough few nights to be sure. "Just you wait, the police finally sent in teams to go after him. They'll stop him soon."

Crystal was about to voice a response when a muffled impact came from the other side of the door. It sounded as though something large had collapsed to the floor. Something like a body.

"What the-" Yellow was about to question this when a memory came to her. She suddenly knew why she recognized the guard from earlier.

"Run!" She yelled to Crystal who was already leaping to her feet. The doorknob turned with a metallic clink, as though grabbed by something other than a hand. Something made of steel.

The girls charged just as Steelfinger flung the metal portal open. Fueled by a combination of panic and adrenaline, Yellow threw herself down to slide between the serial killer's legs, followed closely by Crystal.

Steelfinger took a second to process what had happened, the buzz from stabbing the two guards who thought he was a comrade dulling his senses for an instant.

"Go, he's after you!" Yellow called to her friend. Holding her hand out straight, she turned to the monster and focused on something behind him-the glass window which looked out into the night air. She gave a mental tug, picturing an invisible force pushing on the surface from the outside as her hand closed into a fist.

With a deafening crack, the glass exploded inward, raining down on Steelfinger, who hissed in pain.

"He's distracted, come on!" Crystal called. The blonde nodded, turning to bolt in the same direction her friend had.

Unfortunately, the glass only seemed to surprise Steelfinger instead of drawing his full attention. With a roar he took off after them.

"I'm going to make you scream!" He howled. "I'm going to listen to the music of your agony as I snuff out your pathetic lives!"

The girls ignored him, pouring on more speed as they continued down the hallway. They were both reasonably athletic, so it didn't take long to outdistance the assassin.

Unfortunately, it was only a moment before they reached an obstacle-namely the dead-end of the corridor.

Sensing victory, Edwards drew closer, his grinning teeth as sharp and metallic as the claws sprouting where his fingers had once been. No longer was he the same man who they had confronted in the warehouse, now he had totally lost it. He didn't even seem human anymore.

"I don't know how you pulled that trick back there," Steelfinger hissed, "But something tells me you won't have time to do it again before I tear you limb from limb. And this time your pet vampire isn't here to protect you. I made sure he was out of the way before going after the two of you."

Yellow stopped against the wall, realizing the psychopath was right. Unless Red came back right now, he would have no idea what was going on, much less where they had gone.

"Now then," Steelfinger moved in slowly, "I'm not going to make the mistake of keeping you alive this time. Instead, I think I'll kill you right now!"

He lunged and time seemed to slow down. Yellow saw the long spikes still flecked with blood moving toward her and Crystal with intent to kill, saw the fire of insanity in the monster's eyes.

There was a swish and something warm splattered onto the girl's chest. Yet just like the last time she had faced this man, the pain didn't come.

"No..." Steelfinger gasped. "My dream...to hear the music of tortured souls...it can't end like this..."

Then his head toppled from his shoulders onto the floor, followed shortly by the rest of his body.

Yellow was numb, her brain struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Steelfinger...was dead.

It was then that she noticed another figure crouched to the side, as though it had just finished a frantic sprint. Its arm was outstretched revealing a split in the skin on the back of its hand. Protruding directly from the wound was what appeared to be a long black blade, now dripping with the killer's blood. Yellow watched in a combination of revulsion and amazement as the blade seemed to soften and retract back into the figure's body. It appeared to somehow be made entirely of solid blood.

Puffing with exertion, the figure looked up, training glowing red eyes on her.

"Are you alright?" Red asked, wiping a trail of Steelfinger's blood from his cheek.

"We're...fine," Crystal gasped. "So fast, how did you...?"

"I found the guards dead on the floor," The vampire boy replied. "It didn't take long to figure out where you had gone."

Yellow tried to force herself to move, to ask what that sword had been protruding from his hand, but her lips refused to part.

"Let's get to the front desk to report this," Red moved on, obviously trying to distract them from what had just happened. "They'll want to know what happened."

Before either girl could protest, he dropped a large shard of glass into the pool of blood beside the beheaded figure. "That'll stop them from asking the wrong kind of questions. Let's go."

It seemed like it took forever to do something as simple as move her feet, but move them Yellow did as she followed him down a blood-streaked hall.

-X-

"Criminal Timothy Edwards, more commonly known as Steelfinger was discovered dead in the Darkwing police department last night," Gold read as he sat at the breakfast table the next morning. "Witnesses reported seeing a suspicious man dressed in police clothing enter the complex at approximately 9:27 PM. The officer to whom the uniform belonged was found dead approximately one hour and thirty minutes post-incident.

"Edwards entered the facility at 9:37, moments after two children visiting a young woman who was being held in protective custody. He incapacitated two guards and attacked the protected along with one of her friends. The other had stepped out for a moment and returned at 9:41 to find the two being pursued. Thinking quickly, he shattered a nearby window and attacked the killer with a large shard of glass, decapitating him. Edwards is approximated to have died at exactly 9:42 PM.

"The three victims have respectfully requested that their names be omitted from this record. Julianne, Darkwing Gazette."

Gold placed the paper down on the table as the information sunk in. "Those three just can't stay out of trouble, can they?" He smiled. "They have no idea what they're getting themselves into."

-X-

"Does it scare you?" Red asked on the way to the bus the next morning. "What I did last night?"

Yellow shrugged, looking down as she continued to walk. "It was definitely strange, but you saved me and that's what's important."

Red sighed in relief. "Glad you don't think I'm too much of a freak. Speaking of which, how did you manage to shatter that window _inward_ last night? I know that wasn't Steelfinger who did it."

Yellow frowned. "I try not to talk about the kind of things I can do, but that's another part to what my family can do. We can heal people, interpret the thoughts of Pokemon, and move things with our minds. There may even be more to it-I don't know."

Red decided not to press her. Some secrets were better left unspoken. Instead, he looked toward the bus stop where Crystal already stood waiting. She looked as though she hadn't slept all night, which seemed incredibly likely, but she wore the largest smile he had ever seen.

And that alone was worth being seen as a hero.

-X-

"I told you that one was a loose cannon," A shadowed figure spoke, standing at the edge of a long oval table. "He had zeal, but he was sloppy. There was no way he could have defeated a trained vampire to begin with."

"Steelfinger was only the beginning," A hollow voice explained from the other end of the table. "We tested the boy's limits to see if he would become a threat. I am highly satisfied with the results."

"You are satisfied that he killed a dangerous man with little effort?" A third voice demanded. "I am inclined to question your judgment."

"Question what you will, but the experiment was a success," The second voice assured the third. "And once we know exactly what the boy can do, we will know how he can be contained. Then we will be one step closer to our true goal."

"A waste of good resources," A new voice complained. The six of us are inclined to question why this roundabout approach is needed. He is not the only vampire we could use for the process."

"No, the leader shook his head. "He is exactly the one we need. He is one of the greatest pawns we require to carry out our plans. Once we succeed, even the gods will kneel before our power." He waved his hand to dismiss the others. "Now leave me; this meeting is adjourned."

Without another word, the six other figures around the table dissolved into smoke. Only their leader remained to gaze out at the gibbous moon and laugh.

**FIN**

**AN: And that's the end of this monster arc. Worry not, from this point on we won't be focusing solely around Red, Yellow and Crystal anymore. "In fact, the next star has already been hinted at if you paid attention.**

**End-of-Chapter Question: Of any characters in the Adventures series who haven't been seen yet, who would you most like to have appear in the next chapter? They can be trainers, gym leaders, anything. Give your opinion and there's a chance I'll be able to work them in, though there are some I can't feature for spoiler reasons.**

**Anyway, that's it. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter, as well as the story so far. Be sure not to miss the next chapter of The Darkwing Chronicles!**


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